Resurgence Required

With the exception of SH Raza and Ram Kumar,who have notched up auction sales and interest,others who practice the more obscure 1950s-60s style of abstract art are still waiting in the wings for their moment. Artists like Prabhakar Kolte and Sheetal Gattani have never stopped working in abstract,even though they have to deal with the daunting emphasis on figurative art.  

Recently,however,an interest in canvases that don’t necessarily tell a tale has resurfaced. In Delhi,stalwarts like Paris-based Akkitham Narayanan and Canada-based Sohan Qadri (artwork in picture) are having a two person show at Art Konsult,Hauz Khas Village,till December 16. Anant Art Gallery recently held a two person show,featuring late German abstractionist Siegward Sprotte,while Renu Modi’s Gallery Espace plans to host a solo with established abstractionist Yogesh Rawal. In Mumbai,Kolte recently released a book on his journey as an artist,while Gattani had a solo at Chemould Prescott.

“I was upset to hear that the Faculty of Fine Arts in Vadodara had forced Sunita Bhakta,an abstractionist student from JJ School of Art to do figures,” says Kolte,a former teacher at JJ School. “It’s not an inter-college rivalry but a mindset,” says Kolte who believes it is time to introspect and share his experiences as a teacher and painter — a December trip to Delhi is on the cards for that express purpose.  

“It is not resurgence the way I would like to see it,” says Modi who also recently held a Mekhala Bahl solo. Bahl is a Delhi College of Art postgraduate who works with abstract collage. “Narrative art has taken over everything and people are aping Subodh and casting any household object they can lay hands on. This passes as cutting edge,but I can’t wait to see painters like Sheetal Gattani get the plaudits they deserve,” says Modi who has been a dedicated supporter of abstract art for years. Despite Modi’s misgivings,artists like Narayanan,Rawal Kolte and Jairam Patel have proven to be torch bearers for younger artists like Gattani,Manisha Parekh and Manish Pushkale to take over the baton.